Buying Advice Lasting ztr

[possum]

Be careful buying used anything. Make sure of ownership. Do not buy anything that does not make sense. For example. New wheel pumps and 152 hours. That does not make much sense on a commercial unit. These days around here at least buying used lawn stuff is a bit nerve racking. Folks have no money. So they sell things that do not belong to them. Or they leave town , and settle debts by trading items that are two hard to move to settle them. Then a couple months later the repo folks show up looking for it. Nice new mowers come with nice new warranties and nice new proof of ownership. Those large ride on or stand up mowers will mow a couple acres in a flash and not even break a sweat. Who cares if you own the last one or just another one. A five thousand dollar mower will run a good long time if purchased new.

 

[Ric]

Yeah, seriously though......I bought an entry-level commercial as "my last mower", but I am 60+ years old. Don't you agree(whether new or used) that a < $5k ZTR bought at age 43 is asking a lot to be your "last mower"???

I guess at the age of 43 that is asking a lot but the again depending on how much it's going to be used is something he is looking at. LOL I mean he is 43 and say if he uses it until he is 80 at 25hrs a year is still less than a thousand hours. :laughing:

 

[djdicetn]

I guess at the age of 43 that is asking a lot but the again depending on how much it's going to be used is something he is looking at. LOL I mean he is 43 and say if he uses it until he is 80 at 25hrs a year is still less than a thousand hours. :laughing:

Yeah.....2 acres(but in Michigan), he may only put around 25 hrs/yr. And as far as a ROI(return on investment), at age 80 he will have come out at $135/year for the ZTR(plus maintenance cost). Not a bad investment. If he does the math though, he may realize that if he spends $7,500 on one that's still only about $200/year(you can't get someone else to mow your yard for that much.........RIGHT:0)

If I were going to recommend what I would get if I were him, it would be the 48" Gravely Pro-Turn(regular MSRP is $6,699 and my local dealer has it on sale right now for $5,999) or even a step up to the 48" Pro-Turn 100 XDZ like mine(regular MSRP is $8,099 with the Kawa on sale for $7,299). At this time of year he may get those prices "out-the-door" including tax if he haggles a little. I'd be pretty confident the XDZ(stands for Extra Durability Zero Turn) model would last him 37 years if well-maintained!!! As you can tell....I love my Gravely!!!!

 

[Brucebotti]

Be careful buying used anything. Make sure of ownership. Do not buy anything that does not make sense. For example. New wheel pumps and 152 hours. That does not make much sense on a commercial unit. These days around here at least buying used lawn stuff is a bit nerve racking. Folks have no money. So they sell things that do not belong to them. Or they leave town , and settle debts by trading items that are two hard to move to settle them. Then a couple months later the repo folks show up looking for it. Nice new mowers come with nice new warranties and nice new proof of ownership. Those large ride on or stand up mowers will mow a couple acres in a flash and not even break a sweat. Who cares if you own the last one or just another one. A five thousand dollar mower will run a good long time if purchased new.

Possum,
I agree with you. Another reason I went with new is that I really have no ZTR experience and really wouldn't have known what to look for in a used ZTR. Like Clint Eastwood said in Dirty Harry, "a man's got to know his limitations"....:smile:
Bruce

 

[Goddahavit]

Without knowing specifics about use and lawn type size its hard to suggest a mower.

I have noticed on these forums people will constantly recommend something outside peoples budget, apparently nothing good can be purchased unless its full commercial.

Under 5k, you have ariens, hustler, exmark toro husky, etc. I will go over the ones i considered. the thread opener needs to narrow down his deck size, construction and motor preference.

I wanted to stay in the 3100 series of transmissions, and 48-52 deck size.

I see no reason depending on use they can not expect the mower to be the last one, I just did the same thing, and yes i expect it to be the last mower i purchase, (hopefully). I will not be mowing my yard when im 80, lol

My short list was:

Ariens max zoom 52 $4899 4 year 0% financing $125 fee
husqvarna m-zt52 $5400 but was offered $4825 4 year financing not sure of fees
kubota kommander 48 $4500 cheapest but with hidden insurance cost if using financing yery annoying.... 3 year 0% financing

I did not consider any toro products, due to my feelings about my previous tractor, may to be my folly but many consider them to be a fine mower.

also considered but didnt make the cut was:
exmark quest s


out of my price range:

hustler fastrack 48
big dog 48 r series
skag
gravley yes over by 100 but it was over......

I wound up with the ariens, but the best deal i could get was on the husky. the kommander cut great felt solid, but on my hills and banks the ariens just felt more stable.
I did not have an opportunity to try or even see the husky, probably the reason i didn't purchase it.


hope it helps.

Eric

 

[edd]

for under or around 5000 you can get a big dog r series or a toro timecutter mx model .....both excellent mowers .....and both with new warranty.....have used both and would recommend either

 

[djdicetn]

Without knowing specifics about use and lawn type size its hard to suggest a mower.

I have noticed on these forums people will constantly recommend something outside peoples budget, apparently nothing good can be purchased unless its full commercial.

Under 5k, you have ariens, hustler, exmark toro husky, etc. I will go over the ones i considered. the thread opener needs to narrow down his deck size, construction and motor preference.

I wanted to stay in the 3100 series of transmissions, and 48-52 deck size.

I see no reason depending on use they can not expect the mower to be the last one, I just did the same thing, and yes i expect it to be the last mower i purchase, (hopefully). I will not be mowing my yard when im 80, lol

My short list was:

Ariens max zoom 52 $4899 4 year 0% financing $125 fee
husqvarna m-zt52 $5400 but was offered $4825 4 year financing not sure of fees
kubota kommander 48 $4500 cheapest but with hidden insurance cost if using financing yery annoying.... 3 year 0% financing

I did not consider any toro products, due to my feelings about my previous tractor, may to be my folly but many consider them to be a fine mower.

also considered but didnt make the cut was:
exmark quest s


out of my price range:

hustler fastrack 48
big dog 48 r series
skag
gravley yes over by 100 but it was over......

I wound up with the ariens, but the best deal i could get was on the husky. the kommander cut great felt solid, but on my hills and banks the ariens just felt more stable.
I did not have an opportunity to try or even see the husky, probably the reason i didn't purchase it.


hope it helps.

Eric

Those are all very good recommendations for a homeowner with a $5k max budget for a new ZTR. Problem with the OP was that he wants one of those to last him 35-40 years mowing 2 acres which may be a little unrealistic. User edd also made some good recommendations. Sometimes budget and performance/durability/longevity expectation conflicts is why a lot of us recommend going high-end Residential or entry-level Commercial. Does a normal homeowner need one of those.......no, but again it's all about what your expectations are. Now user ILikeMyMowersBig needs to give useful advice or find another forum to be a Troll in:0)

 

[Brucebotti]

for under or around 5000 you can get a big dog r series or a toro timecutter mx model .....both excellent mowers .....and both with new warranty.....have used both and would recommend either

I can vouch for the Toro MX5060. It fit my requirements of a Kawasaki engine; fabricated deck, and serviceable hydro units. They sell for approx $3900. I've only had it for 21 hours of runtime, but so far - so good. I think it will last for a considerable amount of time with proper maintenance.
Bruce

 

[Ric]

Those are all very good recommendations for a homeowner with a $5k max budget for a new ZTR. Problem with the OP was that he wants one of those to last him 35-40 years mowing 2 acres which may be a little unrealistic. User edd also made some good recommendations. Sometimes budget and performance/durability/longevity expectation conflicts is why a lot of us recommend going high-end Residential or entry-level Commercial. Does a normal homeowner need one of those.......no, but again it's all about what your expectations are. Now user ILikeMyMowersBig needs to give useful advice or find another forum to be a Troll in:0)

The thing I'd like to ask is why the 5K budget? If this is going to be my last mower purchase why limit myself. If you want the mower to last for the rest of your life your not looking for any type of return on your money so why not finance 10-12K for as long as possible, get dirt cheap payments and buy a high end commercial, something that has a kickazz warranty to go with it. Something from a good reputable dealer that will help you with maintenance and taking care of the mower when needed. I really don't see that costing anymore than buying a high end residential unit and end up replacing it 8-10 years down the road because everything is going to crap, really which way is cheaper, paying for parts or paying a little interest?

 

[djdicetn]

The thing I'd like to ask is why the 5K budget? If this is going to be my last mower purchase why limit myself. If you want the mower to last for the rest of your life your not looking for any type of return on your money so why not finance 10-12K for as long as possible, get dirt cheap payments and buy a high end commercial, something that has a kickazz warranty to go with it. Something from a good reputable dealer that will help you with maintenance and taking care of the mower when needed. I really don't see that costing anymore than buying a high end residential unit and end up replacing it 8-10 years down the road because everything is going to crap, really which way is cheaper, paying for parts or paying a little interest?

That's exactly the logic I was trying to make a point about with my example of $135/year for a $5K machine versus $200/year for a $7.5k one. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to limit yourself on the initial outlay expense when your main objective is longevity and never needing to re-purchase another machine.